This is what we’ve been waiting for: a theoretical formulation of the “feminine genius” at the heart and foundation of St. Pope John Paul II's “new feminism.” Even better, each of these rich and varied contributions is simultaneously a magnificent display—a practical example—of the feminine genius at work: a prophetic witness to the value of life and love. Three cheers for Woman as Prophet at Home and in the World!

Michele M. Schumacher, Private Docent at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and author/editor of "Women in Christ: Toward a New Feminism"

This book is prophetic in character as well as in theme. It does not look back with nostalgia to a time when the maternal aspects of the feminine were more highly valued. Nor do its essays argue a sort of balancing act between the traditional domestic and social roles of women and the new realities of their professional and political power. Rather, they make the forward-looking claim that women's struggle to develop and share their gifts beyond the domestic sphere will only reach its full potential when it harnesses the "feminine genius." This power for knowing the person and affirming her dignity, not only on account of her humanity but as "unique and irreplaceable" is not just the heart of any woman's flourishing, but the key to transforming a culture which, for all its celebration of individualism, has obscured the truth of the person as unconditionally worthy of being loved. Prophetic femininity, grounded in the bodily capacity for nurturing life, does not involve any contradiction between the care of persons and the acquisition of professional knowledge and experience. The challenge of both secular feminism and the needs of a wounded culture find their answer in the woman who prophesies love in the home, the workplace, and the world.

Mary Catherine Sommers, University of St. Thomas